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For the record, and to save comments from carnivores, I’m not a vegetarian. I am a nutritionist, and as such, I’ve taken a look at Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) latest ads.
Actor Sam Neill has previously spruiked for MLA, running the line that humans developed their unique brain size and intelligence by eating red meat. Sam’s at it again in the latest campaign, this time teaching Dennis, an orang-utan, that red meat is an ‘amazing food’ that helps the brain perform everyday activities such as thinking clearly, concentrating, remaining alert — and even staying happy! To demonstrate the happiness, Dennis and Sam ride their bikes and dance together under the trees.
From a scientific perspective, these MLA campaigns run on decidedly shaky ground, and vegetarians and those who choose fish and chicken over red meat can feel justifiably insulted by the unfounded implications.
It’s true that the human brain has grown much faster than that of other animals over the last 2 million years, but if that were due to carnivorous habits, why aren’t the super cats ruling the world? A new tome, Hominid Brain Evolution by David Geary and Drew Bailey, draws in data from 153 hominid skulls dating back over 2 million years and concludes that increased cranial capacity has come about largely through social competition.
Sam Neill takes a simpler approach and says it’s all due to five nutrients. Sam spells them out for us.
- “Iron: wonderfuel for brains” MLA correctly notes that iron’s major function is to carry oxygen to cells so they can produce energy. They then extrapolate to imply that since the brain needs lots of fuel, it must need red meat to supply iron.
Fact: Every cell in the body requires energy and yes, iron is needed for making haemoglobin, the red pigment that carries oxygen to cells. But even the most brilliant of brains doesn’t know (or care) where its iron comes from. The iron in seafood, poultry, legumes, vegetables or grains will do nicely, thank you very much. BTW, the iron in red meat is a prime suspect for why a diet high in red meat is related to many problems, including a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
Verdict: misleading
- “I Zinc therefore I am” MLA correctly notes that zinc is a vital part of brain cells and assists in growth and repair.
Fact: Zinc also helps growth and repair in the skin, liver, pancreas, kidneys, eye and the prostate gland. Zinc deficiency occurs in some regions of the world where people have very little food and even less food of high nutritional quality. It is extremely rare in Australia (except in chronic alcoholism), probably because zinc is widely distributed in foods. The top sources — by far — are oysters and mussels. But you’ll get plenty from any other kind of seafood, or chicken, legumes, rolled oats and other cereals, dairy products and nuts.
Verdict: misleading
- “Omega-3s: mega brainy” MLA is correct to note that omega 3 fats contribute to the structure of the brain, although they didn’t add that these fats are most important during pregnancy and infancy.
Fact: There’s a family of omega 3 fats (why does MLA omit the word “fat”?). The main one in the brain is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), found in fish and all Aussie seafood. Red meat contains DPA (docosapentaenoic acid), probably useful, but under-researched. But we need labels on meat because DPA is only found in the meat of animals that graze on grass — grain-feeding doesn’t cut it. Studies where pregnant women and babies have been given supplements of DHA show no extra cleverness. But one study did show that brainier kids were more likely to choose a vegetarian diet!
Verdict: misleading
- “Amino acids: food for thought” MLA is correct that meat contains amino acids — they’re part of all proteins, but why do they lump the 20 or so amino acids into a single nutrient.
Fact: MLA tells me they mention “amino acids” rather than protein, because amino acids are part of neurotransmitters in the brain. Actually all protein must be broken down to amino acids before it can be used anywhere in the body. Aussies don’t suffer from protein deficiency and the brain has no idea if amino acids come from meat, milk or muesli.
Verdict: misleading
- “B12: the B in Brain” MLA correctly notes that vitamin B12 is needed for electrical impulses to be transmitted along nerve fibres.
Fact: Vitamin B12 is supplied only by animal foods, but chicken, fish, milk, cheese, yoghurt or eggs can supply it. Dennis would get it from the insects on his favourite fruit.
Verdict: OK
MLA says that if we don’t get these five critical nutrients the “brain can feel the strain”. Perhaps MLA thought we weren’t smart enough to digest the fact that the brain needs many more nutrients than the five Sam discusses. And you don’t need to eat red meat to get them.
Perhaps the bottom line is that it’s just not smart to expect truth in advertising.
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22 Comments
Regardless, the ad where the ranga rides the bike is awesomely funny.
OK talk about misleading. When your body constantly has problems absorbing iron then you know the best source of iron is red meat. By saying what you did in your argument on iron you have given all those vegetarians with anaemic children some stupid validation of what they are doing. There are exception to all rules so do not quote “misleading” unless you intend to not be so.
Well Adam, maybe in some cases vegetarian parents have anaemic children, but it’s not usually the case.
But on a slightly different track, not only do we already consume more red meat than our bodies need, but the cost of producing that meat in terms of water use, greenhouse emissions and land degradation may overwhelm us.
However I have no doubt that we will continue to consume meat at record levels whilst we have a choice in the matter. Thanks Sam, you’re doing your bit for yourself, good on you.
Adam - great to hear you know so much about my anaemia…oh, hang on, my iron levels are healthy and indeed much higher than my meat-consuming work colleague. As are my vegetarian wife’s. As are my vegetarian and vegan friends’ children. And I’m not sure how Rob de Castella won marathons with anaemia (yes, he was vegetarian). But thanks for your contribution.
Yeah Adam D making animals do supremely unnatural things for our enterainment always makes me cack myself too. Shame he wasn’t wearing a fetching hat or perhaps a waistcoat and smoking.
I dunno SBH the ranga seemed pretty happy to be cruising along on a bike and partying with Sam Neill.
It sure beats getting your home chopped down in Sumatra.
I find the Sam Neill ads promoting meat-eating to be creepy, offensive and environmentally irresponsible.
Regarding iron: I’m also a vegetarian with healthy iron levels. In fact, when giving blood, my iron levels have at times come out ahead of my meat-eating partner. The only nutrient that is difficult to obtain in my vegetarian diet is B12, which Rosemary has conceded is supplied only by animal foods.
The percentage of vegetarians with anaemia has been found to be either the same or only very slightly higher than that of the general population, so I find Adam D’s comments about ‘stupid’ vegetarians to be both misleading and offensive.
Imagine my surprise that vegetarians don’t like ads about red meat.
That said I’ve dealt with MLA up close and personal at fairly senior levels. Scary, rabid people.
I embrace the fact that we’re designed to be carnivores. Otherwise the appendix wouldn’t be.
Adam by your logic, because a smack in the face is better than a bullet in the head we should all rejoice because we get a smack in the head. If you could tell me how you can ethically and humanely train an ape to ride a bike I’d feel less put off by this series of adds.
Deccles by your logic, anything is possible
I *loathe* evangelism SBH. Wear it on your sleeve by all means, but don’t ram it down other people’s throats, your posts have ****NOTHING**** to do with Dr. Rosemary Stanton’s article.
Dr Rosemary,
if you read through your assessments of what Sam Neill is claiming on these ads, you will find that you agree that red meat contains all the things Neill and the MLA are claiming it contains. It is not misleading if their claims are actually true, when they say “red meat is a source of ….” and you suggest that it is.
misleading would be saying red meat is a more plentiful source of … than ….
Clearly that hasn’t been done.
by your logic, the fact that Commonwealth Bank suggest they will “talk to you in easy to understand language about financial planning” is misleading because they havent suggested someone else may be able to speak in easier to understand language, or Coke is misleading in its advertising when people are having fun in the sun or whatever because it doesn’t suggest you can have as much fun with a competing soft drink brand.
Next time, write an article titled - “Good Nutrition” and suggest what the most abundant sources of each vitamin / mineral you have mentioned, that is good journalism/writing compared with the pedantic, argumentitive, pius drivel of saying things are “misleading” when you yourself have confirmed the things the MLA suggest are in red meat in their advertisements are actually correct.
Damnumalone,
Look at the MLA campaign in its context: MLA is not suggesting that red meat is one of several sources of iron and, hey, choose whichever you think is best for you. They’re clearly suggesting that if you want to develop your brain you need to eat red meat. This is misleading; there is no evidence that a balanced diet without red meat is any more likely to assist brain development than a balanced diet with red meat. And, just btw, there is plenty of evidence that too much red meat does all sorts of bad things for some other pretty important parts of your body (heart, bowel, etc) without which a healthy brain is pretty useless.
Dr Rosemary Stanton is doing a sterling job in shedding light on the biased psuedo-science which the animal production lobby is using to maintain popular misconceptions and myths about the human diet.
B12:
Also available in most soy milks and in savoury yeast flakes (also known as “nutritional yeast flakes”) which are a popular part of many a vegan’s diet! My B12 levels are in the “normal” range and I’m vegan!
Regarding iron levels: Mine were tested recently and were in the high end of average (do I need to mention again that I’m vegan?). Meat eating has NOTHING to do with it - eating properly does.
“I find the Sam Neill ads promoting meat-eating to be creepy, offensive and environmentally irresponsible.” - Environmentally irresponsible. Amen.
and having a otiose and rudimentary sack in your colon does ************NOTHING********** to support the assertion that we are ‘designed’ (verrrry interesting choice of words) to eat red meat. I wasn’t designed to eat anything. By accidental evloution I am able (and often do) to eat red meat.
Is my post relevant to the article? Well people who use trained animals to perform tricks that serve no other purpose than to entertain us leave their ethics open to question and here we have an add that does just that and (or is that ******AND******) makes dubious claims about red meat so there my post does have something to do with the article.
anyway who died and made you the post moderator?
Some people’s confusion could be due to brain shrinkage, which is likely to occur when you don’t eat meat: http://www.newsmax.com/health/vegetarian_shrinks_brain/2008/09/16/131223.html
Damon Schultz
I appreciate that MLA are not suggesting meat is one of many sources you can get suggested nutrients from and that some people may take this as you have to eat red meat to get these nutrients.
My point was, if you are going to condemn them for taking an ‘our product is the best’ approach and they use factual information when telling you what their product contains, you need to condemn everyone who promotes their product having the best interests of themselves or their company in mind. If you take all advertising ‘in context’ as you suggest, by that definition, 99% of advertising is misleading.
You will note that no other products were mentioned in the advertisement. If people want to take the information given and don’t consider the source of the advertising, then that is simply their fault for not making an informed decision. I don’t believe everything I see on TV, do you? I certainly don’t believe those numerous ads for kids’ cereals which try to sell high sugar contents as ‘low GI’, for example and in my opinion these are much more pervasive than suggesting red meat has iron, zinc and omega 3 in it.
I agree Dr Rosemary is doing a an ok job in suggesting proper nutrition requirements and at least some of her article was balanced, but to go on a tirade against the MLA declaring their adverising ‘misleading’ doesn’t make sense as all advertising is designed specifically to ‘mislead’ you from other products to the product that the advertiser is selling. This is an ad, nothing more and is no more harmful than any other food advertisement you see on TV.
If you want to write an article about good nutrition, fine, but don’t base your whole article against one particular advertising campaign of one particular product, come out and say ‘these are the highest sources of the following vitamins and minerals’. Even the MLA and most advertises seem to have realised, your arguement or suggestion is a lot more convincing when you don’t feel the need to get your point across by specifically berating one group with an alternative view to yourself.
“Even the MLA and most advertises seem to have realised, your arguement or suggestion is a lot more convincing when you don’t feel the need to get your point across by specifically berating one group..”
I wouldn’t say that’s entirely true. Has anyone else noticed that Sam drags the orangutan away from pursuing a big bag that has bananas hanging out of it? It’s not just a piece of humour thrown in… advertisers are more clever than you give them credit for!
What I don’t understand is why they’re using an animal that doesn’t even eat red meat?? Orangutans are primarily herbivores who sometimes eat ants/insects and occasionally a bird. Are they trying to tell us to go against our natural diet because it’s “better for us”?
@ Natastrophe
To be fair, I haven’t actually seen the second ad with the orangutan, so I can’t comment. That is a subtle little addition trying to move people away from fruit for such nutrients if it is true, I will give you that.
I’d take on a cow if I had to…. one foul kick to the udder should do the trick….
“but to go on a tirade against the MLA declaring their adverising ‘misleading’ doesn’t make sense as all advertising is designed specifically to ‘mislead’ you…”
Makes perfect sense to me. By your own statement the advertisement is misleading, regardless of any other advertising. I’m not inclined to agree that all advertising is specifically designed to mislead us either. And tirade*? That’s a bit of a stretch isn’t it?
Good sources of iron are listed here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002422.htm
* Tirade: A long angry or violent speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature; a diatribe.
By MLA logic crocodiles should be the brainiest creatures on the planet with 100 million years of red meat eating heritage.
A key indication of false science is ignoring facts that contradict the claim, but Sam Neil is a real palaeontologist so it must be true like everything we are told on TV [sarcasm].
As the Dr Rosemary Stanton points out these nutrients are available from many other animal and plant based sources, in addition many of these are cholesterol and carcinogens free sources, so not only does red meat not have a monopoly on these nutrients, there are plenty of much healthier packages to choose from.
@ Matthew Wilson
Ok Matthew, you didn’t like the use of the word tirade, fair enough. But yes, unfortunately all advertising is designed to mislead you. If you for one second think that advertising exists to help find the best product for you, rather than being there solely so advertisers can lead you towards their product because selling that product makes money for them, you are just being naive.
My point was that it does not make sense to come out and single out the MLA and claim their advertising is misleading when they have played by the rules, haven’t made any false claims (red meat contains all the things they have advertised it claims, as pointed out by Dr Rosemary) and they haven’t put any other products down or compared their product to any others in the process. Why are we not singling out ther products that have the same lack of nutritional value in the same article? Better yet, if you want to be informative, draw no reference to the MLA commercial and just say “Heres a list of foods with the highest content of x”.
I think its misleading to use the term misleading about MLA’s advertising.
This is no worse than any other advertisement and if people are silly enough to just eat red meat to get the nutrients mentioned because Sam Neill told them they should, they are just going to get duped by someone else. You may not have fun if you drink coke, VB may not necessarily cause you to have a great time with your mates, Channel 10’s “Law and Order” is not necessarily a “brilliant, must see episode” everytime, even if they do say that 65 times a week when they advertise it.
Im just drawing a line. When claims are false, you can denigrate them, but when they still rest in the realm of fact, leave them be.
“Why are we not singling out ther products…” - should be “Why are we not singling out OTHER products…”